(Emily Morement)
French Revolution (1789–1792)
· French Society and Fiscal Crisis
· French society was divided into three groups: the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (hereditary nobility), and the Third Estate (everyone else). The clergy and the nobility controlled vast amounts of wealth, and the clergy was exempt from nearly all taxes.
· The Third Estate included the rapidly growing, wealthy middle class (bourgeoisie). While the bourgeoisie prospered, France's peasants (80 percent of the population), its artisans, workers, and small shopkeepers, were suffering in the 1780s from economic depression caused by poor harvests. Urban poverty and rural suffering often led to violent protests, but these protests were not revolutionary.
· During the 1700s the expenses of wars drove France into debt and inspired the French kings to try to introduce new taxes and fiscal reforms in order to increase revenue. These attempts met with resistance in the Parliaments and on the part of the high nobility.
French First Republic (1792–1799)
The French First Republic (French: Republique française) was founded on 22 September, 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon. This period is characterized by the fall of the monarchy, the establishment of the National Convention and the infamous Reign of Terror, the founding of the Directory and the Thermidorian Reaction, and finally, the creation of the Consulate and Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power.
The Directory
After the fall of Robespierre, the Jacobin club was closed and the surviving Girondins were reinstated. In August, the National Convention adopted the Constitution of 1795. They reestablished freedom of worship, began releasing large numbers of prisoners, and most importantly, initiated elections for a new legislative body. On 3 November 1795, the Directory was established. Under this system, France was led by a bicameral government, consisting of an upper chamber called the Council of Elders (with 250 members) and a lower chamber called the Council of 500 (with 500 members). The executive body consisted of five members who made up the Directory (from which the historical period gets its name). Due to internal instability and French military disasters in 1798 and 1799, the Directory only lasted for four years.
The Consulate
The system fell with the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799, which began the period known as the French Consulate. Members of the Directory itself planned the coup, indicating clearly the failing power of the Directory. Napoleon Bonaparte was a co-conspirator in the coup, and became head of the government as the First Consul. He would later proclaim himself emperor, effectively putting an end to the French First Republic and launching the age of the French First Empire.
First Empire (1804–1814)
The French Empire[2][3] (1804–1814), also known as the Greater French Empire, First French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I in France. It was the dominant power of much of continental Europe during the early 19th Century.
Napoleon became Emperor of the French ("L'Empereur des Français") on 18 May 1804 and crowned Emperor December 2, 1804, ending the period of the French Consulate, and won early military victories in the War of the Third Coalition against Austria, Prussia, Russia, Portugal, and allied nations, notably at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805) and the Battle of Friedland (1807). The Treaty of Tilsit in July 1807 ended two years of bloodshed on the European continent.
Subsequent years of military victories known collectively as the Napoleonic Wars extended French influence over much of Western Europe and into Poland. At its height in 1812, the French Empire had 130 départements, ruled over 44 million subjects, maintained an extensive military presence in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Duchy of Warsaw, and could count Prussia and Austria as nominal allies.
Restoration (1814–1830)
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the restored Bourbon Kingdom of France which existed from 1814 until the July Revolution of 1830. The regime was a constitutional monarchy, unlike the ancien régime, which was absolute. The period was characterized by a sharp conservative reaction and the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic Church as a power in French politics.[2][3]
· French Society and Fiscal Crisis
· French society was divided into three groups: the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (hereditary nobility), and the Third Estate (everyone else). The clergy and the nobility controlled vast amounts of wealth, and the clergy was exempt from nearly all taxes.
· The Third Estate included the rapidly growing, wealthy middle class (bourgeoisie). While the bourgeoisie prospered, France's peasants (80 percent of the population), its artisans, workers, and small shopkeepers, were suffering in the 1780s from economic depression caused by poor harvests. Urban poverty and rural suffering often led to violent protests, but these protests were not revolutionary.
· During the 1700s the expenses of wars drove France into debt and inspired the French kings to try to introduce new taxes and fiscal reforms in order to increase revenue. These attempts met with resistance in the Parliaments and on the part of the high nobility.
French First Republic (1792–1799)
The French First Republic (French: Republique française) was founded on 22 September, 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon. This period is characterized by the fall of the monarchy, the establishment of the National Convention and the infamous Reign of Terror, the founding of the Directory and the Thermidorian Reaction, and finally, the creation of the Consulate and Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power.
The Directory
After the fall of Robespierre, the Jacobin club was closed and the surviving Girondins were reinstated. In August, the National Convention adopted the Constitution of 1795. They reestablished freedom of worship, began releasing large numbers of prisoners, and most importantly, initiated elections for a new legislative body. On 3 November 1795, the Directory was established. Under this system, France was led by a bicameral government, consisting of an upper chamber called the Council of Elders (with 250 members) and a lower chamber called the Council of 500 (with 500 members). The executive body consisted of five members who made up the Directory (from which the historical period gets its name). Due to internal instability and French military disasters in 1798 and 1799, the Directory only lasted for four years.
The Consulate
The system fell with the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799, which began the period known as the French Consulate. Members of the Directory itself planned the coup, indicating clearly the failing power of the Directory. Napoleon Bonaparte was a co-conspirator in the coup, and became head of the government as the First Consul. He would later proclaim himself emperor, effectively putting an end to the French First Republic and launching the age of the French First Empire.
First Empire (1804–1814)
The French Empire[2][3] (1804–1814), also known as the Greater French Empire, First French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I in France. It was the dominant power of much of continental Europe during the early 19th Century.
Napoleon became Emperor of the French ("L'Empereur des Français") on 18 May 1804 and crowned Emperor December 2, 1804, ending the period of the French Consulate, and won early military victories in the War of the Third Coalition against Austria, Prussia, Russia, Portugal, and allied nations, notably at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805) and the Battle of Friedland (1807). The Treaty of Tilsit in July 1807 ended two years of bloodshed on the European continent.
Subsequent years of military victories known collectively as the Napoleonic Wars extended French influence over much of Western Europe and into Poland. At its height in 1812, the French Empire had 130 départements, ruled over 44 million subjects, maintained an extensive military presence in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Duchy of Warsaw, and could count Prussia and Austria as nominal allies.
Restoration (1814–1830)
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the restored Bourbon Kingdom of France which existed from 1814 until the July Revolution of 1830. The regime was a constitutional monarchy, unlike the ancien régime, which was absolute. The period was characterized by a sharp conservative reaction and the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic Church as a power in French politics.[2][3]
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